Continuing some thoughts on prayer…
Discussions at home have raised the reality of prayer being a case of sharing with God the desires of your heart, and at the same time, letting go of those same desires, or handing them over to God.
Gethsemane is the sacred example of this where Jesus confessed his deepest desire to “let this cup pass from me” while also declaring “not my will but yours”.
So much easier to preach these truths or even just write this reflection, than to put them into practice on a regular basis.
So where do the carrots come in? While I enjoy growing a variety of fruit and vegetables, carrots have been among the most challenging. Not necessarily because of the work or preparation which is minimal, but because the evidence of growth is hidden. Someone said, “don’t dig up in doubt what you have planted in faith”. My history with carrots is to be impatient and to dig them up before they are ready. Having handed the seeds over to the process of nature and the capacity of the seed to grow, I have found it hard to let go and to trust that the natural process will achieve “my heart’s desire”.
I suspect I am not alone in maintaining the balance of asking in prayer, and of letting go in faith.
History has given us many models of this faithful praying, probably none more then one whom I will save for next week, but as a clue, there is an orphanage in the story.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this.
Psalm 37:4-5